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The observant among you may have noticed that the mainstream media have recently rounded on Reform UK and Nigel Farage. Interestingly, the outlets ganging up on Reform include the Daily Mail and Rupert Murdoch’s the Times:

Pleased as I am to see the Murdoch and Rothermere press attacking Farage as stridently as they previously lavished praise on him, I can't help wondering what has brought on the recent U-turn

— David__Osland (@David__Osland) July 13, 2026

Reform: right-on-right violence

The broader strokes of what these outlets are reporting on are things independent journalists began covering years ago. The Times and others have certainly unveiled new information, but said information could have come out years ago had the will been there. As such, it’s understandable people are asking ‘why now?‘

The Times have broken a series of stories on Farage and Reform’s financial matters in recent months. With each new story comes fresh scrutiny for Reform, and with further scrutiny comes panic. As a result, Reform is looking less and less like the next party of government and more and more like the defendants in an upcoming legal proceeding.

Among those questioning the reality we find ourselves in is author of The Fraud Paul Holden, who said:

This is fascinating to watch. I’m not sure I understand the more subtle dynamics at play on the British right, but it does seem like Farage and Reform and the Murdoch press are openly at war.

It might be at least partially reactive, but it does also seem that Farage, Tice etc. have decided that they can win power without the Murdoch press: that a combination of social media and the support of the Paul Marshall stable (GB News/Spectator) is enough to get them over the line.

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From the outside it looks like the clash of two fractions of the right-wing power structure and eco-system, similar to how Trump faced down (and then subdued) the Fox News/Republican eco-system, and how it is resolved will have massive implications for the viability of Reform and the make-up of the next government.

My strong hunch is that it’s not going to go well for Reform!

Holden was responding to the following tweet from Reform deputy Richard Tice:

The Times Group:

You are sick

Your contempt bordering on hatred of Nigel, myself & Reform means you stoop to any low to smear & discredit us. You lie, libel and make things up.

How many more Reform politicians do you want dead?

Shame on you https://t.co/LnCCZ4YEqi

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— Richard Tice MP (@TiceRichard) July 13, 2026

As one commenter noted, Tice is making the above argument while simultaneously using the sort of language he’s complaining about being used against him:

In March 2026, Richard Tice said: “Starmer and Labour… are traitors to Britain.”

Tice knows better than most that being called a “traitor” carries severe social, psychological, and sometimes violent or even fatal consequences.

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Just hours after Nigel Farage launched the… https://t.co/bBJYZZTnFH pic.twitter.com/KSq709XdmW

— GET A GRIP (@docrussjackson) July 13, 2026

The Daily Mail

It’s not just the Times who are giving Reform UK a hard time; the Daily Mail is also putting the boot in:

Nigel has lost the daily mail. pic.twitter.com/MqIUI4gNxf

— Daniel Lismore (@daniellismore) July 12, 2026

This is despite a big recent donation from the establishment family behind this vilest of vile rags:

Only last year, the wife of Mail on Sunday owner Lord Rothermere donated £50,000 to Reform UK. I'm sure Nigel Farage can live with a bit of criticism from Dan Hodges, although that is not a lot of money by his standards.

— David__Osland (@David__Osland) July 13, 2026

End of the line

Providing a theory on the turn against Farage, the popular commentator known as the Flying Rodent said:

Times is bored of playing with Farage now, and it’s telling him to get back in his box pic.twitter.com/XpFmugEEYp

— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) July 13, 2026

Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person of course, but it really is an abysmal way to manage national affairs: having the worst people in the country build up and tear down all kinds of very unpleasant right wing frauds, out of pure self-interest and expediency.

— Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) July 13, 2026

Clearly, Farage has failed to win the confidence of the billionaires who own the ‘free’ British press. As such, maybe it’s time that the right acknowledge what we did years ago; that for democracy to exist, we can’t have the majority of the media owned by a handful of major c*nts.

Featured image via the Canary

By Willem Moore

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MPs gathered on the banks of the Thames on 13 July, calling for Thames Water to go into special administration.

They’re among the 112 MPs who have signed an open letter to the environment secretary and Ofwat. It calls for Thames Water to be placed into special administration without delay.

The company, which has a debt pile of nearly £20bn, is on the brink of collapse. Since June 2025, Thames Water’s creditors, a group of US hedge funds, have been negotiating with Ofwat to formally take over the utility.

As part of the proposed deal, the creditors want to waive fines until 2030. And they want to suspend or ‘significantly modify’ pollution and performance targets. The creditors also want to raise bills for households beyond the level currently set by Ofwat.

Thames Water deal is unfair

Last month, environment secretary Emma Reynolds wrote to Ofwat objecting to the current terms of the deal. She stated that it poses unfair costs to consumers. But the water regulator itself has yet to reject the deal.

This comes as the utility approaches the 16 July deadline for submitting its financial results. If the deal doesn’t happen, Thames Water’s precarious finances might trigger a ‘going concern’ warning from the auditor. This could place the utility in special administration.

Prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham has previously said that Thames Water ‘should’ be nationalised. And he has put forward a potential 10-year plan for public ownership of the water industry.

53 Liberal Democrats have signed the open letter, along with 46 Labour MPs, six independents (at the time of signing), all five Greens and one MP each from Plaid Cymru and the Conservative Party.

It argues that allowing Thames Water, which was responsible for a third of the worst pollution incidents in 2025, to set its own rules would create a dangerous precedent for all of England’s privatised water companies.

It also argues that special administration will allow the government to write off a greater proportion of Thames Water’s debts. And this would secure a better deal for the public purse.

Sophie Conquest, lead campaigner at We Own It, said:

Right now, this government and Ofwat are at a crossroads. They can choose to line the pockets of US hedge funds with our money. Or, they can put households and the environment first.

This is a decision which will affect every single household in England. Signing off on this deal would be to sign off on a whole new low in standards across the water sector.

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That’s why 109 MPs, from across the country and from across political parties, have added their names to the open letter calling for special administration.

The environment secretary’s objection to the creditors’ proposal on the grounds of its unfairness for consumers is absolutely right.

The next logical step is to put Thames Water out of its misery, and place it in special administration, where we can slash the debts, and put households and the environment first.

Andy Burnham has promised to secure greater public control of life’s essentials. There is no clearer test of whether he will keep that promise than what happens next to Thames Water.

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Featured image via We Own It

By The Canary

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Marco Rubio is waging an all-out war against the International Criminal Court (ICC), threatening that the body will learn ‘the full meaning of American resolve‘:

The International Criminal Court seeks to become the unaccountable arbiter of a new global law — empowered to prosecute and arrest our citizens at will and existentially threaten American sovereignty.

We will teach the ICC the full meaning of American resolve. pic.twitter.com/2egHK1jA98

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 13, 2026

ICC under threat

CNN reported that the opinion piece by Rubio – which is hilariously behind a paywall – says that the US will:

use all the tools at our government’s disposal, working beside every ally with whom we can make common cause, we will dismantle the ICC—brick by brick, if necessary.

In his opinion piece, Rubio accused the ICC of being:

backed and run by a powerful network of leftist nongovernment organizations, smug globalists, and hostile Third World governments united by their enmity toward the U.S.

Rubio claimed that the court threatens US sovereignty through its ability to prosecute American soldiers and officials.

Those tools include possible travel bans, visa revocations, and increased sanctions, a State Department official told CNN.

Rubio continued:

We will watch with interest which nations join ranks with us against this threat to Americans who are willing to risk their lives to protect others.

Hague Invasion Act not a joke anymore

Meanwhile, the director of Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN), Raed Jarrar told TRT World that

Bush’s ‘Hague Invasion Act’ is not a joke anymore.

Jarrar noted that what was once dismissed as a joke in Washington is now being taken seriously under the Trump administration. And, Jarrar made it clear that he considered Rubio’s threats against the ICC as a signal of a dangerous escalation that makes the unthinkable seem all too real.

Further, Jarrar warned that the administration’s hostility toward international law has reached unprecedented levels, adding that the U.S. is using sanctions, threats, and pressure campaigns to go after the court.

The law in question, officially known as the American Service-Members’ Protection Act, was signed by George W. Bush in 2001 and authorises the U.S. president to protect American military forces against criminal prosecution from the ICC.

Of course, Jarrar also noted that the U.S. could itself face ICC prosecution for aiding and abetting genocide in Gaza, as well as for obstruction of justice under Article 70 of the Rome Statute.

Jarrar said:

The United States can and should be prosecuted by the ICC under two paths. … The United States aiding and abetting Israeli genocide in Gaza counts as a path. … The other track is Article 70 which actually gives the ICC jurisdiction to prosecute officials in countries even those countries who are not members of the Rome Statute in case they are engaged in acts of obstruction and threatening of the court itself. And that is exactly what this administration is doing.

ICC upheld by vassal states

Last month, three ICC judges sued Trump and his administration over sanctions imposed on them last year, arguing the measures were unlawful.

However, the court has taken no steps to investigate U.S. personnel in recent years, Reuters reported.

The UK is a founding member of the ICC, but as a vassal state of the US, it will likely just fall in line with whatever Rubio has planned.

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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New Home Office statistics have laid bare the true extent of our government’s broken promises when it comes to animal testing and animal rights.

Researchers in UK laboratories carried out scientific procedures on animals 2.5 million times in 2025. This is a pathetic 4% decrease from 2024, revealing a government that is failing to meet the expectations of the public it supposedly serves.

Despite releasing the Replacing animals in Science strategy in November 2025, the state has still condemned millions of animals to suffer disgusting and painful procedures.

We need to transition to modern, humane scientific methods of testing. Now.

Animal testing per species

The data shows a horrifying trend for certain species, with the torture having increased for so many.

Use of animals by species in 2025, compared with 2024:

• Mice – 1,776,506 (-5%)
• Rats – 126,500 (-16%)
• Horses – 12,101 (+5%)
• Rabbits – 5,291 (-15%)
• Dogs – 2,889 (+ 9%)
• Monkeys – 2,236 (+15%)
• Guinea pigs – 1,676 (-38%)
• Cats – 91 (+11%)

Why the hell are we experimenting on any of these poor creatures?! And where has this 4% decrease you might ask?

The decline only happened because labs have reduced testing on the most common species such as mice and rats. This is alongside a 22% drop in regulatory testing.

Seems like a good thing doesn’t it? But these small creatures still remain the most abused as 1.8 million mice and 126,500 rats were tortured in 2025.

And to top it all off, needless, curiosity-driven research accounted for 54% of all experiments. Therefore, more hundreds of thousands of animals suffered just to satiate scientific curiosity, rather than to develop lifesaving treatments.

A nation of animal lovers? Far from it, based on the actions of our government.

Broken promises and more bull

Our country’s slow progress is totally and utterly unacceptable. Approved, non-animal replacements exist for a reason!

Cruelty Free International currently maintains a Replace Animal Tests (RAT) list that shines a light on tests still being performed in the UK which have validated, humane alternatives. That means no more sentient beings locked in cages and tortured to death. Ending these specific tests alone could save more than 80,000 animals a year.

Six months after the state published its transition strategy, this progress remains ridiculously slow. Dr Emma Grange, director of science and regulatory affairs at Cruelty Free international, said:

With 2.54 million uses of animals in British laboratories in 2025, a meagre 4% decrease from 2024, the rate of decline remains painfully slow. We ask that the government now starts to show the sort of bold leadership and ambition promised in its strategy…”

It’s a hard ask from Labour, let’s be honest. It’s not exactly known for following through with pretty much anything.

Whoever our new prime minister is, they need to show some spine and push forward the transition to only use non-animal specific methods.

The UK public wants animal testing to end. It’s time for the government to stop dragging its heels and finally ban these painful experiments.

We’re a nation of animal lovers and it’s way past time that the government reflected that.

Featured images via Pinterest 

By Antifabot

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On 11 July 2025, Israeli occupation settlers brutally murdered Sayfullah “Saif” Musallet – a 23 year old Palestinian- American, and his friend, 23 year old Mohammed al-Shalabi, in al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, near Sinjil in the occupied West Bank. Now, a year later, the father of Saif – Kamel Musallet – has been attacked by Israeli settlers when attempting to visit his son’s grave.

A group of journalists accompanying Kamel were also attacked by the unaccountable settlers.

Israeli settler attacks

Several months before the summer of 2025 Israeli settlers set up an outpost amongst Palestinian olive groves in the occupied West Bank. They began to prevent residents from accessing this stolen land. On 11 July 2025, these settlers beat Saif Musallet unconscious, left him for dead, and shot al-Shalabi in the chest. These illegal colonists then blocked the entry of emergency services for over three hours, resulting in the deaths of these two men. 58 Palestinians were also injured due to the violence.

A year after these two Palestinians were viciously attacked and murdered, Kamel Musallet wanted to visit the place where his son took his last breath, to pay tribute to him.

Journalist and human rights activist Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, better known as Andrey X, was among the group of independent journalists and CNN crew who accompanied him. Talking about the Palestinian land the settlers stole in 2025, he told the Canary:

The land has now been completely taken over by the settlers. According to the Oslo Accords, it is in Area A which should be solely controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Under Israeli military law, settlers are not allowed to enter here, but they have. And they have also taken over Palestinian farm houses. They now literally live in the homes of Palestinians from al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya.

The mayor of Sinjil briefed the group on safety and security before they left. He explained there are two known armed settlers in the area – one with an M16 and another with a pistol. He told the group he was concerned they may be targeted and attacked. This is because the settler with the M16 is known for shooting from a distance at anyone who enters the area.

Settlers armed with knives, rocks, and sticks

The group drove to the location where Saif Musallet was murdered to allow his grief-stricken father to spend some time there. But things took a turn for the worst. As Kamel Musallet and the journalists returned to their two cars, they noticed settlers had blocked their only way out of the area. From their outpost they must have seen the group enter the area. They immediately dispatched one car, then another. More settlers joined, and began to launch an attack.

Andrey X told the Canary:

There were several settlers who really looked like children, who were weilding sticks and held large rocks, ready to throw. They told us to stop the cars. At the beginning, we stopped. But one of the settlers started cutting the tyres of the CNN crew car {which was bullet proof} that was in front of us. At that point we decided to keep the cars moving. Then the settlers switched their attention to our car. They jumped on the hood of it, smashed our windshield with a stick, and started throwing rocks at us. We managed to speed away, but they pursued us. They then called another vehicle and group of settlers who blocked us off further down the road.

Yesterday I was ambushed and attacked by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, together with the CNN and independent journalists. Here is how it happened: pic.twitter.com/eA9FwNv8e6

— Andrey X (@the_andrey_x) July 12, 2026

Impunity

Luckily the group managed to break through the blockade, although not before the settlers attacked their vehicles once more. When the group made it to the town of Sinjil, there was then a stand off between the two sides, and the settlers began filming using a drone. Among the settlers stood a person dressed in full army uniform, carrying an assault rifle. But there were no military vehicles arriving at that point, and he seemed to appear from nowhere. It was likely that one of the settlers who attacked them had a uniform in his car.

Andrey X described:

Then the army arrived. They were very aggressive and told us we were not allowed to film, which was blatantly untrue.

But once they realised journalists were present, another group of Israeli occupation soldiers turned up, with their commander:

He was much friendlier, and said it was horrible what had happened to us, and he would pursue it. They did, in fact, arrest four of the settlers. But the only reason this happened is because there was a CNN crew involved, and it would be bad PR for Israel.

There has been no justice for the families of al-Shalabi and Musallet. Nor for others whose loved ones have been murdered by the occupation. Their killers remain free to continue terrorising and displacing Palestinian communities. In many cases, Palestinians know many of the local violent settlers who harass, intimidate, attack, and kill, by name. But as the Israeli occupation government, police, military, settlers, and justice system are all part of the same apartheid colonial project, there is no hope of justice or accountability.

Israeli settlers get away with murder

Andrey X realises luck was on their side. Had the settlers been armed, the situation would have ended very differently. He told me:

Luckily for us the settlers weren’t armed. Of course, we were scared for our lives. These are very, very dangerous people, who kill with complete impunity. They can do anything they want in the West Bank, there is no accountability. For Saif’s family, any hope for justice is very tenuous, as long as the regime that resulted in his murder is still standing.

Israeli human rights organisation Yesh Din says the occupation has enabled violence against Palestinians by equipping thousands of settlers with military firearms and uniforms. It claims settlers wear these uniforms to appear as though they belong to the military. They can then abuse the power that comes with these  uniforms to commit offenses against Palestinians.

While enabling the violence, occupation authorities fail to hold perpetrators accountable. Complaints are routinely dismissed. The Military Advocate General’s Corps claims the incidents fall outside its jurisdiction because they are not part of military operations. While the Israel occupation police often close cases or argues it lacks jurisdiction because the perpetrators were in military uniform.

US has duty to protect US citizens and secure accountability for deaths

Many Palestinian Americans live in, or regularly travel to, the West Bank. Some were born in the US while others later became U.S. citizens and returned. In some villages, such as Turmus Ayya, Sinjil, and Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya, more than 80 percent of residents hold dual US citizenship. But they have received no help or protection from the US government, unlike American citizens in other countries.

Double standards are involved in the protection of Americans abroad. Its strong support for the Israeli occupation has taken precedence over seeking justice for its own citizens in the occupied territory. Where “Israel” is involved, there is little or no hope of credible, independent investigations, or any accountability. This is true even if the occupation has killed or injured US citizens in Palestine.

Saif Musallet was one of nine US citizens to be murdered in the West Bank by the Israeli occupation, since January 2022.  US Senators have claimed that in each of these killings:

No one has yet been held accountable by the Netanyahu government, nor has the US government upheld its duty to protect Americans and secure justice and accountability for their deaths.

They say there is “a consistent pattern,” of Americans being killed in the West Bank by the occupation without justice or accountability, despite promises from US officials.

The latest events have only added to questions about the US response. Andrey X tells me:

It’s a funny coincidence that this all came at the same time as senator Ro Khanna’s visit to the West Bank, and the attack on an American CNN crew, which was covering the murder of two American citizens a year ago. It’s a very American story.

Featured image via the Canary

By Charlie Jaay

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Multiple Spanish political parties are calling on the Spanish government not to execute Fergie Chambers’ extradition to the US.

Representatives of several political forces have submitted a letter to interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Félix Bolaños García, minister for the presidency, justice and parliamentary relations, as well as to several government delegations.

The letter calls on the Spanish executive not to execute the extradition of James Cox “Fergie” Chambers Jr. to the US. And it warns that solidarity with Palestine, in a context of genocide, occupation and apartheid, cannot be criminalised or presented as terrorism.

The MPs come from the CUP, ERC, Comuns, Més per Mallorca, Compromís, EH Bildu, BNG, Somos Asturies, Convocatoria por Asturias, Adelante Andalucía, Izquierda Unida, Podemos and Sumar.

Fergie Chambers

According to published reports, Chambers was arrested in Eivissa [Ibiza] following a possible extradition request made by the US. It concerned allegations of money laundering and the alleged intention to provide material support to organisations designated as terrorist.

The signatories note that Chambers is known publicly as a donor and activist committed to the Palestinian cause and to humanitarian and social projects supporting the population of Gaza.

In the letter, the signatory forces, represented in various parliaments and in Congress, stress that passive extradition proceedings in the Spanish State are not automatic.

They recall that the law allows the government to refuse surrender even where a court has declared it admissible. This is especially so where there are substantial grounds for believing that the request is intended to prosecute or punish a person for their political opinions.

The text also recalls that the constitution excludes political offences from extradition. And it notes that the Extradition Treaty between Spain and the US provides for the possibility of refusing surrender where there are indications of political persecution.

In this regard, the signatories warn that the label of “terrorism” cannot be used expansively to criminalise the denunciation of genocide, humanitarian support, internationalist activism, contributions to media outlets or the defence of political campaigns against occupation and apartheid.

The letter states:

Solidarity with Palestine does not constitute any offence. Nor can it be equated, without concrete and individualised evidence of the financing of violent acts, with the financing of terrorism.

Political context

The document places the case in a broader institutional context. It recalls that the Spanish government officially recognised the State of Palestine on 28 May 2024 and that Royal Decree-Law 10/2025 adopted urgent measures against the genocide in Gaza and in support of the Palestinian population.

It also refers to positions adopted by multiple legislatures in defence of the rights of the Palestinian people, against genocide, against occupation and against the criminalisation of Palestinian civil society. These include:

• The Parliament of Catalonia.
• The Parliament of Navarre.
• The Basque Parliament.
• The Parliament of Galicia.
• The General Junta of the Principality of Asturias.
• The Parliament of the Balearic Islands.
• Les Corts Valencianes.

The signatories argue that these institutional positions show a clear line. Defending Palestine, cooperating with its civil society, denouncing the occupation and demanding respect for international law are part of the legitimate exercise of fundamental rights and cannot be treated as criminal activities.

The letter also invokes the international framework. It recalls, among other elements, South Africa’s case against Israel before the International Court of Justice for possible violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, as well as the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

For all these reasons, the signatories call on the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior to ensure that no administrative, police or governmental action contributes to an extradition based on the criminalisation of solidarity with Palestine. Therefore, they’re asking the Spanish government to refuse Chambers’ surrender to the US.

The text concludes:

The fight against terrorism cannot be used as an instrument to persecute the denunciation of genocide, solidarity with an occupied people or support for humanitarian and social initiatives.

Supporting the Palestinian people is not a crime; it is a legitimate expression of solidarity, the defence of human rights and commitment to international law.

Signatories:

• Laure Vega, CUP.
• Gabriel Rufián, ERC.
• Ana Balsera, ERC.
• Gerardo Pisarello, Comuns.
• Andrés García Berrio, Comuns.
• Diana Urrea Herrera, EH Bildu.
• Irati Jiménez Aragón, EH Bildu.
• Oskar Matute, EH Bildu.
• Montserrat Prado Cores, BNG.
• Néstor Rego, BNG.
• Covadonga Tomé, Somos Asturies.
• Delia Campomanes, IU / Convocatoria por Asturias.
• Lluís Apesteguia, Més per Mallorca.
• Vicenç Vidal, Més per Mallorca.
• Isaura Navarro Casillas, Compromís.
• Agueda Micó, Compromís.
• Jose Ignacio García, Adelante Andalucía.
• Enrique Santiago Romero, IU.
• Agustín Santos Maraver, Sumar.
• Tesh Sidi, Más Madrid.
• Ione Belarra, Podemos.
• Javier Sánchez Serna, Podemos.
• Martina Velarde, Podemos.
• Noemí Santana, Podemos

Featured image via the Canary

By The Canary

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